


i know a place we can go (just lay down your weapon)

by Werewolf_Prince_Charming



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Ace spectrum Jason Scott, Canon Autistic Character, F/F, Flirting, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Minor Misunderstandings, Non-binary Tommy Oliver, Other, PDA, Pride, Slice of Life, mistranslated Chinese henna tattoos, soft touches, sunshine and happiness, zach is a puppy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 01:59:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,811
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13494412
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werewolf_Prince_Charming/pseuds/Werewolf_Prince_Charming
Summary: It's a few weeks after graduation when they go to their first Pride together. Jason's glad it's just a little thing in the community park and they didn't drive to a bigger city. He's a pretty big mess anyway, and this just feels safer. Plus, new friends are always good, right?





	i know a place we can go (just lay down your weapon)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [querulousArtisan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/querulousArtisan/gifts).



> Title comes from MUNA's "I Know a Place" which is an amazing song.
> 
> https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-t5gGm3NWU4

Six years ago, Jason remembers wanting to go hang out with some kids at the park after the last day of his football day camp. They wanted a pick up game, or maybe just run around and be idiots. His dad had picked him up that day, grumbling that he wanted to take Jason to dinner to celebrate his first camp and talk about middle school football tryouts.

They got stopped at the light next to the park on the way to Ernie's Diner, the gravel parking lot was half full of cars. Which was more than usual but not so much that he couldn't go. But the field where he wanted to play had a handful of vendor tents. People gathered on blankets in the grass where a small stage rose only a couple feet high and a woman with long hair and a longer skirt played a guitar. What really caught his eye was all the rainbows. And then his dad drove them away.

But that was then. Today? Today, Jason carpooled with his friends and boyfriend in Kim's car. They parked in that lot that's still gravel. And he walked right on to that field under a banner that proudly read, "8th Annual Angel Grove Pride Fest."

There's three rows of vendor tents now. The city put in a permanent stage a few years back and there's a duo on stage for the next half hour. The rainbows are joined by flags of so many different colors, Jason feels a little guilty for not recognizing every variation.

Kim and Trini are checking out some crocheted hats at the vendor tent next to him, and Jason can't hear over the noise but it looks like Kim is using her height to force an owl beanie on Trini's head. He can't help but smile.

The tent he's hiding from the hot, California sun under only shelters a simple folding table with three vertical standing cork boards full of pins and buttons. He quickly spots a rainbow button that has the brown and black on top, yellow lettering surrounded in black proudly states, “YES HOMO” in the center. He pulls the pin out. There's two more on the same board with the bisexual flag with scrawling cursive letters stating “It's not a phase!” in white and pastel pink. That pink version gets pulled out, too.

“Excuse me,” he peers around the boards and all he sees is an intense undercut ponytail with hair straighter than his could ever possibly hope to be even with the best stylist.

The head looks up from a book, stands, and becomes a full person who Jason thinks he might have seen before now.

“Hey. How much do I owe you for these?”

They looks down at Jason's hands and sighs, “Four dollars. But they're three for five, if you want... And if you're not paying in singles, I really hope you want because I'm running low on change.”

He leans back on his heels to check on Trini and Kim. Only to see Kim handing some cash to the vendor behind her while pecking Trini's nose with a kiss. Her nose scrunches up and she tries to swat Kim away. Jason has a hard time understanding his own relief to know they're still near to him.

It's a small park, but he feels better sticking close for his own reasons.

“Oh... uhh. Sure.” He finally replies.

Jason scans the other two cork boards. He can actually feel the vendor watch the panic spread over his face, and he swears he hears them stifling a laugh. And now he's blushing. Great.

“Here dude, look,” amusement clear as they waves a laminated sheet in Jason's face.

Two columns covered each side full of every flag, labeled thank God, they has as product. Jason scans the list and scolds himself for each one that he didn't already know. He points to a couple, and at least he knows the confusion is still clear on his face because he gets a patient answer for each one.

He comes to three with varying patterns of purple, black and gray.

“What does this even mean?”

“Asexual? Not feeling sexual attraction. That one is demisexual, or feeling sexual attraction only after forming an emotional bond.”

Jason hums thoughtfully and ignores their eyeroll when he says, “Yeah. Not quite me. And this one?”

“Gray-ace,” they answers. “Only feeling it sometimes.”

Jason nods and glances back up at the board again.

There was one with the same purple, gray, and white stripes and it had a pink, yellow, and blue heart in the center of it. He'd truly be a mess if he didn't know that heart meant panromantic. He grabs that one. Perfect, even if he didn't know it before he got here.

Jason holds it up and the vendor nods at him.

As he hands the five dollar bill over he let his gaze slip to white lace peeking out of their loosely hanging green tank top when they lifts their arm to take it. The juxtaposition doesn't seem odd to him, he's seen Kim dress in a similar albeit more femme style. But between the olive skin, stark white of the lace, and deep green of the shirt, Jason can't help but be drawn to it.

“Dude!” They snatches the bill from Jason and presses their arm against their side, thin lips stretched thinner. “Are you checking me out?”

He takes a step back, “Whoa! No. Sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel that way at all. I was just... It's your bralette under a muscle tank, okay?”

“If there's a problem,” they bristles, “You can keep your money.”

“No, no! It's a good look. I liked the combination is all. Aesthetic.”

They doesn't say anything as Jason stares wide-eyed straight into their tan face. The hazel eyes tear him to pieces like a hawk, but he has a sudden realization despite himself. And maybe it's a good enough connection to bring up for self preservation.

“You're Tommy Oliver right? The one who beat up my friend, Zack, at lunch about a month before graduation? We had a few detentions together.”

“Yes,” Tommy grinds out through their teeth.

“I didn't even know it was you at first. You look so... So...” Oh God, Jason, don't dig another hole. Stop. Stop. He pleads to himself and looks to the cloudless sky, praying he could just float away into it.

“So? What? What do I look like, Jason Scott? Like I couldn't still kick you ass? You're not wearing that leg brace anymore so I wouldn't even feel bad about it!”

“Um... I was going to say happy and free,” Jason tries, stunning Tommy enough to get a few more words in to try and save himself. He puts his palms up, at least, as much as he can while still holding the pins in one hand with a thumb. “Look. I'm so not interested in a fight, I promise. I'm just gonna go find Kim and Trini and give them their presents and I won't both—ufff.”

Jason abruptly finds himself facing the grass in a headlock from behind by someone whooping in his ear and a second, cheerful voice coming up on his right yelling, “Hey, Jason. Look what I made!”

Zack twists him towards Billy and he fights to lift his head to see a white but colorful t-shirt being held close to his face. He elbows Zack in the gut and straightens up to get a better look at the infinity symbol surrounded by a rainbow of tie dye.

“I used sugar to trap the dye and keep the negative space for the design. It's not a chemical reaction, which would be cool if it was... Oh, but it was a property of the sugar to absorb the liquid so that the diluted dye didn't stain the shirt, which is still pretty cool. Right, Jason?”

“It looks great, Billy,” Jason beams at Billy with undisguised admiration. “I can't wait to see it dry. It's going to look great on you.”

Billy's smile brightens and Jason gets caught up in smiling back. Totally lost in their own world until their friend calls out to him. The people pushing through the vendor booths are oblivious to their little moment.

“Hey, hey, J. Check this out.” Zack is wildly gesturing to the drying henna on his neck. “She told me it says 'freedom.'”

Jason steps closer to him and pokes his neck. He shakes his head, because he knows his friend and he knows that there is no way in hell Zack would get one of his native languages semi-permanently stained onto his body if it wasn't ironic in some way.

“The translation of that isn't freedom, Jason,” Billy leans into Jason's back to whisper, a hand firm on his waist.

Zack turns towards Tommy who is still watching all of this in horror, and fake whispers, “It actually says 'whore.' My mom will be so proud.”

Jason watches Zack's brain catch up with him when he notices who he's talking to. Watches his eyes trail up and down them. Watches the grin forming on Zack's face and knows that this is probably about to end in bloodshed.

“What do you think? Make enough money today to afford me, hot stuff?” Zack arrogantly tosses his chin up.

Tommy's shoulders go up and Jason is sure they is about to jump over the folding table. And Jason is going to watch them lay into his friend. Again.

“Heyheyhey!”

Tommy freezes and turns their glare back to Jason. Jason gulps. He puts his empty hand over Billy's, seeking comforting and support.

“That! That's actually hitting on you. Right there,” Jason throws his other arm wild in Zack's direction, and under the bus Zack goes. So much for saving his friend's life. “I'm sorry it was so terrible. Please excuse him for being unfit to be out among us humans. We finally got him potty trained and thought we could take him out in public.”

Yes, humor, Jason think. This could work. The wind blows his hair out of place and he doesn't bother to fix it. Billy, however, does pat his wave of hair back into place.

Tommy is back to looking at Zack, but with startled wide eyes. They has an arm wrapped around their stomach. Just watching like prey as Zack give them his best goofy grin and eyebrow waggle. 

Jason recognizes a defense barrier down when he sees one, and maybe Zack has a chance, but Jason is sure that that day is not today.

“Jason, I think Zack's known how to use a toilet for at least 12 years now. It would be abnormal for him to have continued wetting the bed after 6 years old, and if he had it would indicate a medical problem that I'm sure has been addressed since. Jason, Jason. Do you really think he wets his bed still? Should we pitch in for a doctor appointment?”

“Billy, I gotta stop you. As much as I'm loving this, Zack looks like he's going to implode,” he pats the hand still on his waist.

“Sorry, Zack,” Billy mumbles into Jason's neck. He presses his mouth into Jason's skin as if it could ever stop him from talking. He fights back a purr, knowing how comfortable and happy Billy is here. He revels in the affection.

But when they all look over, Tommy has a hand over their mouth to hide laughter. Zack winks at Tommy, which only causes them to laugh harder. And Tommy double over. Luckily, Zack takes it in stride and with a straightened back. Like he's actually considering this a success. Okay, maybe today, but probably still not a good idea.

People move around them as his palm sweats around the buttons still in his hand, and Jason is suddenly aware that he has no idea where Kim and Trini disappeared. He whips his head around as much as he can without giving Billy a bloody nose or dislodging him from the very public display of affection, and can't spot the pair from his current position.

He slips his left hand into Billy's as he turns to walk away and drops the buttons into his right pocket.

“Ah... we gotta go find our ladies.” He explains to his friends, then throws a quick beckoning hand up to get Zack away from Tommy. “We're supposed to meet for lunch and the 12:30 concert.”

He gives Tommy a nervous wave goodbye but doesn't say anything else. His mouth has already tasted his own foot enough for one day. Billy squeezes his hand and cradles his new shirt to his chest.

A few steps get between them and Tommy's tent before Tommy calls out, “Hey, were any of those buttons for you? Just curious.”

Jason smiles and grabs the contents of his pocket back out, not even thinking about everything else he has in there with the buttons. He schools his face when he sees what's in his palm and holds up the third button he had picked out, graysexual and panromantic.

Tommy's face is far from neutral. Almost shocked. Jason isn't sure what is so surprising about that. Assumptions about the former quarterback will get you like that, he supposes smugly.

The football team always teased him about never hooking up at the post-game parties. He never actually dated anyone while they were all in high school together until Billy two months ago. 

There were rumors about Jason and Kim for about a month tops but after Kimberly and Trini came out they stopped. I helped that the very next day Billy had turned to him at lunch and loudly and directly asked him if he'd like to go on a date. Jason fondly remembers the gasps from the nerd table, the cringes they made like they were about to watch their friend get punched.

Jason had simply asked where Billy would like to go.

Jason supposes that after that, people probably just connected their own dots based on their perception of him turning girls down and dating Billy and said, “Oh, Jason Scott must have been gay this whole time.”

So Tommy says nothing to this small reveal of himself through his button choice, but does offer a single nod. And Jason accepts that Tommy must have had that assumption about him, too. He makes to turn away again, about to put his pocket holdings away.

That damn red coin out in the open is making him paranoid. He swears that's what Tommy's eyes are focused on because the expression on their face just feels off to him. There's no way they knew what that was, right?

“Wait,” Tommy chokes out.

Jason freezes, wind blowing his hair the other way. Billy fixes Jason's hair again, blunt nails on his scalp grounding him a little, and Zack waits.

Tommy shuffles around the table and digs through their bag. Then there it is. Held between two fingers is the green Power Coin.

Jason looks at his hand. Shit. Yep. They knew what it was then. Zack and Billy shift their weight, reach into their pockets and hold up black and blue despite Jason's bit of panic. Tommy's eyes widen even further. They glances repeated to their right and then back the boys, and Jason follows the look.

Kimberly is standing off to the side holding up her pink coin with an absolutely amazed face. Trini is next to her scowling at the look Kim is giving Tommy, but holding up her yellow coin anyway.

A whoop bursts from Zack and before Jason can stop him, he leaps over the table through the cork boards and full on tackles Tommy to the ground, shouting.

Onlookers are wary, but just laugh and move on because Zack is laughing and helping them off the ground. And spinning in a circle. And that's probably the first real smile Jason has seen on Tommy's face in his memory.

Billy's hand is back in his own, and Kim catches his eye. He pulls Billy with him so he can pass his small gifts off and start to tell them the story. Billy is muttering under his breath about how he should have added more green to his shirt.

A scream is ripped from Tommy as Zack lifts them into the air.

Somehow, Jason thinks to himself, all of this seems normal now. He thinks about that football camp, and the first annual pride celebration that ever happened in Angel Grove. He thinks about ruining his football career and gaining a group of misfit friends.

Zack shouts from the top of his lungs, uncaring of any judging stares. “We're a rainbow!!”

Yeah, Jason wouldn't have it any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> For Ryan, who inspires me with vendor shows and artist alleys and Pride buttons... you are a rainbow.


End file.
